Following calls for her to make the most of Mr Trump’s shock election victory, she will say in a speech tomorrow: “Change is in the air. And when people demand change, it is the job of politicians to respond.”

Mr Trump is an acknowledged Anglophile who insiders say wants to restore Churchill’s bust to the Oval Office.

Related articles

In a speech tomorrow at the Mansion House – the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London – Theresa May will argue that there has never been a better time to “forge a bold, new and confident future for ourselves in the world”.

Trump’s warm words about Britain and his close ties to the country present a golden opportunity

Whitehall inside source

Describing Mr Trump as “the President-elect who defied the polls and the pundits”, she will draw parallels between the US election and the EU referendum, arguing that both events must now be used as a force for good in the world.

She will explain that it is vital to understand what caused both Brexit and Mr Trump’s win.

“People see their communities changing around them and don’t remember giving their permission for that to be the case,” she will say.

REUTERS

Donald Trump is known to be fond of the English

Addressing members of London’s livery companies, she is expected to say that globalisation, while key to global prosperity and security, has resulted in people on low incomes seeing “their jobs being outsourced and wages undercut”.

She will add: “If we are to continue to make the case for liberalism and globalisation, as we must, we must also face up to these concerns. We must deal with the downsides and show we can make these forces work for everyone.”

Mrs May has come under increasing pressure to capitalise on Mr Trump’s election – not least when the US’s trade deal with the EU is hanging in the balance.

Mr Trump has been very critical of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – or TTIP – saying “no one understands” the 5,544-page agreement.

PA

It is up to the government now to make the best of the situation

Meanwhile, some EU leaders have been openly critical of Mr Trump’s victory, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker even suggesting Mr Trump does not know “what Europe is or how it works”.

A Whitehall source said: “Trump’s warm words about Britain and his close ties to the country present a golden opportunity to use our special relationship with America to help boost our trading opportunities post Brexit. It’s entirely reasonable that we reach out to him and his team.”

Downing Street has rejected the idea of Nigel Farage acting as a go-between, even though the interim Ukip leader was yesterday due to become the first British politician to meet Mr Trump following his election.

Sources close to the Prime Minister suggested the MEP, who even appeared on the campaign trail with Mr Trump, is an “irrelevance to proceedings”.

REUTERS

Several European leaders have showed their disapproval of the election results

President-Elect Donald Trump in pictures

Tue, December 13, 2016

Donald John Trump is an American businessman and politician who is President-elect of the United States as well as chairman and president of The Trump Organization

But in fact, Team Trump has become so close to Mr Farage’s people that they called them in the early hours of Wednesday to ask for the correct Downing Street number to call Mrs May.

Contrary to reports, Mrs May was only called after the leaders of Ireland, Mexico, Israel and others because the victorious Republican camp did not have her direct contact details.

A source close to Mr Farage said: “We were surprised to receive a call from Trump’s campaign team asking for a number for Downing Street, which we happily obliged. It is all the more ironic that the man Number 10 has described as an ‘irrelevance’ was actually responsible for the first contact between Mr Trump and Mrs May.”

“We can now have a sensible trade relationship, cut tariffs. We are massive investors in each other’s countries and there’s a bright future.”

Others close to Mr Trump, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and trusted adviser Steve Bannon, are also said to be Anglophiles. Last night Conservative MPs urged Mrs May to set aside party differences and make use of Mr Farage’s contacts.

Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, said: “Farage clearly struck a chord with Trump and Trump with him. “In the current climate you should not forego any opportunity – if Farage can access parts we can’t reach then fine.”

GETTY

Nigel Farage himself appeared at Trump Tower

Mr Farage is now expected to attend Mr Trump’s inauguration on January 20 when the new president plans to restore Churchill’s bust to the Oval Office after it was moved by Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, a Foreign Office source said civil servants were “pragmatic and upbeat” about Mr Trump’s election, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson last week calling on people to stop their “collective whinge-o-rama” over the result.

Yesterday it emerged that Mr Johnson planned to snub an emergency EU foreign ministers’ meeting due to be held today to dissect Mr Trump’s victory.